Presidential Scholars Opportunity Grants Presidential Scholars are encouraged to apply for opportunity grants of up to $3,000 to support self-designed academic research (including collaborative research), internships, humanitarian or service projects, or educational coursework (e.g., a Colby JanPlan that carries an additional fee, or attendance at a conference, symposium or seminar). These experiences allow Presidential Scholars to pursue academic, career, and research interests beyond the curriculum and can be undertaken after the student has completed three semesters at Colby (not including JanPlan). Projects may involve foreign study or travel.* Proposals for Presidential Scholars Opportunity Grants are due in October (for projects beginning January-April) or in February (for projects beginning May-December). The deadlines for this year are October 16 th, 2015 and February 26 th 2016. Internships, extended coursework, and service projects typically take place during January or over the summer. Research projects can be carried out at any point during the year. The January-April cycle awards, typically for JanPlan projects, are available to sophomores, juniors, and seniors; May-December awards, typically for summer projects, are available to sophomores and juniors. *Note: Opportunity grants are dispensable only to the student and cannot be paid to a third party. Awards are considered income by the IRS and may or may not be taxable, according to an individual s situation. Proposals All opportunity grant proposals should include: The completed application form; A description of the project, including goals, timetable, products/outcomes, and what you hope to gain from the experience. Proposals should be no more than three 8.5x11 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point Times or Times New Roman font, with 1 inch margins. A budget proposal itemizing projected expenses and furnishing a rationale for expenditures; A current resume; An unofficial Colby transcript; A letter of support from a faculty sponsor (submitted directly to the Director of the Presidential Scholars Program); A letter from the sponsoring organization, on the organization s letterhead, if applicable. Proposals should be submitted to the Director of the Presidential Scholars Program, Steve Saunders (sesaunde@colby.edu), MH 5677, by the announced deadlines. Late applications will be considered only under extraordinary circumstances. Applications are reviewed by a faculty screening committee.
Please note carefully the following guidelines: For All Project Applicants. Students may apply for opportunity grants more than once, including renewals or extensions of the original grant, up to the $3,000 maximum per/student allotment. Preference will typically be given to first-time applicants.. Within 30 days of the completion of the project, grant recipients are required to submit a final report (1-2 pages) to the Director of the Presidential Scholars Program.. The final report should be accompanied by detailed documentation of all expenses paid for by the grant. The expense report should contain receipts documenting expenditures. For purchases, the report must document both what was purchased and, if applicable, the amount. Students will be expected to return funds whose use cannot be documented.. You must be in good academic and disciplinary standing (i.e., not on academic or disciplinary probation) to be considered for an Adams Presidential Scholars Opportunity Grant or to receive funding.. Presidential Scholars doing projects off-campus should provide their local contact information to the Director of the Presidential Scholars Program before starting their projects.. Projects whose total funding requires more than the $3,000 provided by Presidential Scholars opportunity grants should explain in their proposal how they plan to fund the full cost of the project or experience. For Research Project Applicants. Successful research proposals typically include: a statement of the research problem; a description of the research design or methodology; a brief literature review; an explanation of the significance of the work; a report on any previous research you have undertaken in this area; and a description of the intended product (e.g., paper, senior thesis, senior scholars project, preliminary work toward a grant application).. Budget requests may include funding to cover any legitimate research expenses associated with the project, including purchase of research materials, travel, food, and lodging.. If the project involves research in a foreign country, identify local contacts with whom you will be working and the location(s) of source materials. (See also the general guidelines for international projects, below.). Research projects involving human subjects must be approved by Colby s Institutional Review Board before funds can be disbursed.. Projects involving research on vertebrate animals must be approved by the Colby Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) before funds can be disbursed.. Research projects undertaken for academic credit (e.g., independent studies, honors projects, senior scholars projects) must meet the normal College guidelines for for-credit experiences.. Presidential Scholars are strongly encouraged to present their research as part of the Colby Undergraduate Research Symposium and to submit their work to the Colby Digital Commons. Note that this can be done without precluding future publication.
For Internship Project Applicants. Successful internship proposals typically include: a statement of the nature and length of the internship; a statement of the student s goals and their relationship to their academic and career plans; a report of past experiences that contribute to the internship; and a description of the applicant s responsibilities during the internship.. Applicants should provide a brief letter from the sponsoring organization, on letterhead, outlining their responsibilities and including the name and contact information of the supervisor. (In cases where you are still waiting to hear from the internship sponsor, you may still apply. However, if you are awarded funding, it will be provisional pending receipt of the sponsor s letter of support.). Presidential Scholars Opportunity Grants may be used to pay for living expenses during an internship, including travel, food, and lodging.. In addition, proposals for unpaid internships of 6 weeks or longer and a minimum of 20 hours per week may include a stipend to offset lost wages up to the amount currently set by the college for summer earning contributions for juniors and seniors (now $2000). Shorter projects may request a similar stipend on a pro rata basis.. Preference will generally be given to internship projects that involve: a minimum of 20 hours per week for 8 weeks or more (for summer or in-term internships), or which require more than 100 hours of work (for January internships).. No internship may exceed 40 yours per week, and paid internships should comply with federal wage and hour laws.. Internship applicants who would like transcript notation or JanPlan credit must complete the on-line Internship Application Form on the Career Center s Web site: http://www.colby.edu/academics_cs/careercenter/students/internship/resources.cfm and must comply with College guidelines for transcript notation. Students may combine funding from Opportunity Grants with funding from other Colby-sponsored Funded Internship Awards for a single internship. However, such requests should be discussed in advance with the Director of the Presidential Scholars Program and other sponsoring department (e.g., Career Services, Goldfard Center). Such projects will require particularly careful documentation of which expenditures are being paid for by each grant. For Coursework Project Applicants. Successful coursework proposals typically include: a short description of the course, conference or seminar; a statement of how the experience fits into the student s academic and career plans; and documentation of tuition or fees.. Applications should document acceptance into the course or program. (In cases where you are still waiting to hear from the sponsoring institution, you may still apply. However, if you are awarded funding, it will be provisional, pending confirmation of your acceptance.). Budget requests may include requests to cover tuition, fees, travel, food, and lodging associated with the course, conference or seminar.
. Adams Presidential Scholars who wish to take courses offered at other institutions for academic credit must follow the normal guidelines for course approval and credit found on the registrar s web site.. Proposals for summer course work of 6 weeks or longer may include a stipend to offset lost wages up to the amount currently set by the college for summer earning contributions for juniors and seniors (now $2000). For Service Project Applicants. Successful service project proposals typically include: a statement of the nature and length of the project; a statement of the project s goals and importance; a description of the student s learning goals and their relationship to future academic and career plans.. Applicants should provide a brief letter of support from the sponsoring organization, if applicable, including contact information of the local coordinator with whom you will work.. Budget requests may include funding to cover any legitimate expenses associated with the project, including: purchase of materials, travel, food, and lodging.. Proposals for unpaid summer service projects of 6 weeks or longer may include a stipend to offset lost wages up to the amount currently set by the college for summer earning contributions for juniors and seniors (now $2000). Shorter service projects may request a similar stipend on a pro rata basis. For Projects Involving Travel Outside the US. Colby discourages travel to countries for which there is a U.S. State Department Travel Warning in effect at the time of departure. Students requesting funding for a project that involves travel to a country currently under U.S. State Department Travel Warning should include a complete description of and justification for their study/travel as part of their proposal.. Before funds can be dispersed, students are required to provide the same forms that the College requires of students participating in international internships or independent study projects abroad. These forms, available at the off-campus study web site, include: a) the International Internship/Independent Study Project Release and Hold Harmless Agreement; b) the Health Form; and c) a letter providing proof of insurance coverage aboard. Please review the website link above for important details about this documentation.
Presidential Scholars Opportunity Grant Application Please check the type of project for which you are applying Academic Research Project (complete parts A and B, below) Internship (complete parts A and C, below) Coursework (complete parts A and D, below) Service Project (complete parts A and E, below) Other (please describe) Part A (to be complete by all applicants) Name: Class year: Major: Campus box # Campus/cell phone E-mail Permanent home address: Title of Project Faculty Sponsor s name: Amount requested: Signature: Date:
Part B (for Research Project Applicants) Sponsoring organization name (if applicable): Address: Contact name, title: Part C (for Internship Applicants) Sponsoring organization name: Address: Supervisor name, title: Supervisor s Phone: Email: Have you worked at this organization before? When? If yes, describe the nature of the work: If yes, did you receive compensation? (yes/no) Number of hours/week: Starting date: Ending date:
Part D (for Coursework Applicants) Course Number and Title: Sponsoring Institution Address: Starting Date: Ending date: Course Tuition/Fees: Brief Course Description (or attach separate description)
Part E (for Service Project Applicants) Sponsoring organization name: Address: Contact name, title: Have you worked at or with this organization before? When? If yes, describe the nature of the work: Starting date: Ending date: Projected number of hours/week devoted to the project: